Anthony Birchak vs. Dileno Lopes
The first round began and they touch gloves. Birchak lands a hard body kick. They clinch. Lopes has double underhooks and drags Birchak down. Birchak working to stand. He does to the waist cinch. Lopes has that standing back. Birchak landing reverse right elbows to Lopes' right arm. 4:00. They clinch, Birchak lands on top in a scramble, rights under. Lopes gets a trip as they stand, gets both hooks. He has them standing now. Birchak walks over to his corner leaning against the cage, Stann laughs commenting on it. Lopes working for the choke. 3:00. Birchak elbows the thigh, right elbow to right thigh. More. More. Fighting the hands. Lopes working patiently. Birchak escapes dumping Lopes down nicely, they clinch. Birchak lands on top in guard again after a Lopes trip. 2:00 as Birchak lands a right to the body. He passes to side control and gets the back, rights under. He gets the back standing. They break. Birchak lands a high kick and a right, eats a counter left. Birchak knees the body eating a left. Birchak lands a leg kick. Lopes gets the standing back dragging him down, both hooks. He works for a choke. 1:00. Birchak stands again, Lopes has both hooks standing. He loses them. Birchak thinking kimura, threatening with it. 35. Birchak releases it. Clinch. Lopes gets a trip, lands a body kick inside as they stand, clinch. 10. Lopes knees the leg. Foot stomp, R1 ends, 10-9 Lopes, great round though. Cut on Birchak's left hand, one by his left eye as well. R2 began. Birchak lands a leg kick. Birchak lands a body kick. Lopes seems slightly winded. Lopes lands a hard straight left. Birchak lands a jab slightly, mostly slipped by Lopes. Lopes lands a couple left uppercuts after they clash hands, he lands a good one. 4:00. Lopes lands a sneaky left. They clinch. Birchak knees the body and leg. Birchak knees the body. Birchak knees the leg, breaks eating a right and eats a hard left, hurts him with a left himself. Birchak lands a blocked high kick, tries a flying knee. Birchak lands a leg kick body kick combo, lands a left to body then head, eats a right himself. 3:00. Lopes lands a left, tries a double, Birchak stuffs it to the clinch. Lopes knees the body. Birchak replies. 2:00. Birchak knees the body. Birchak lands a left elbow. He stuffs a trip. He lands a couple lefts inside. Lopes works a trip. Birchak lands lefts to head and body inside. Lopes knees the leg. Birchak works a double, Lopes goes for a guillotine standing, loses it. 1:00. Lopes works a trip, stuffed. Lopes tries again. 35. Lopes gets a hook standing. Birchak threatens a kimura. 10. "Turn and face." R2 ends, that one is tough to call. I'd say 10-9 Birchak, super close though, could go either way. "Put your heart in it," Lopes' corner says pointing at his heart, "you need this next round, last round was really close." R3 began and they touch both gloves together and hug. They touch gloves again as the crowd roars. Lopes visibly tired. He lands an inside kick. Lopes blocks a body kick. Birchak lands a right elbow. His corner wnats more of 'em. Birchak stuffs a single, nearly gets a reversal. They break. 4:00. Birchak lands an inside kick. Birchak knees the body. Birchak stuffs a trip. He lands a body kick, blocked actually but still hurts the arms probably. 3:00. Lopes lands a counter left in an exchange. Lopes misses a sidekick and they grin at each other. Lopes lands a counter right after eating a right and a body kick. Birchak lands a big right and another. And a left to the body. Birchak stuffs a telegraphed single kneeing the head. 2:00. Lopes lands a left. And another. And another. And a right hook. Birchak stuffs a single easily to the clinch. "Short right elbow, double it!" Birchak knees the body, they break. Birchak lands a right. Lopes jogs out. 1:00. Lopes lands a left. 35. Birchak points down at the mat and they touch gloves, Lopes shoots a takedown, stuffed, lands a left. Lopes looking at the clock. Birchak lands a body kick. Lopes raises his hands walking around, both men stand with their hands on their waists, they shake hands as R3 ends, boos. 10-9 Birchak, 29-28 Birchak IMO. 30-27 Lopes, 29-28 Birchak, 29-28 split for... Birchak. "I've always wanted a Diego Sanchez-Gilbert Melendez scrap and Dileno brought it. I didn't give a shit what the judges' scorecards were going to be because that was a war, man." Birchak said he broke his thumb in the first round posting on the canvas while scrambling and the bone came through. "No Brazilians gonna come to Vegas on Fourth of July weekend and walk away with a victory, no goddamn way. I'll tell you that."